


Run away in the middle of the night

by HopeSilverheart



Series: Loving Em at 2AM [4]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Bisexual Isabelle Lightwood, Bisexual Lydia Branwell, Confident Lydia Branwell, Episode: s01e12 Malec, F/F, Fluff, Getting Together, Girls in Love, I love Lydia and she deserves better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:28:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24463519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeSilverheart/pseuds/HopeSilverheart
Summary: She’s getting married tomorrow, for angel’s sake. She accepted Alec’s proposal and they’re getting married. A rune on the hand, a rune on the heart, all of it. She’s about to tie herself to someone forever and get the job of a lifetime thanks to it. It’s what she’s always wanted, what she’s been waiting for ever since John died.So why is she here, about to knock on Isabelle’s bedroom door? Why is she about to risk it all for a woman who can barely stand to be in the same room as her? She should be with Alec, celebrating and getting everything ready. She should be sleeping, forgetting about these treacherous thoughts.
Relationships: Lydia Branwell/Isabelle Lightwood
Series: Loving Em at 2AM [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764400
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	Run away in the middle of the night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatnerdemryn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatnerdemryn/gifts).



> title is from gabrielle's aplin 'until the sun comes up'

Lydia stares at the door in front of her, wondering if she’s about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

She’s getting married tomorrow, for angel’s sake. She accepted Alec’s proposal and they’re getting _married_. A rune on the hand, a rune on the heart, all of it. She’s about to tie herself to someone forever and get the job of a lifetime thanks to it. It’s what she’s always wanted, what she’s been waiting for ever since John died.

So why is she here, about to knock on Isabelle’s bedroom door? Why is she about to risk it all for a woman who can barely stand to be in the same room as her? She should be with Alec, celebrating and getting everything ready. She should be sleeping, forgetting about these treacherous thoughts.

She knocks anyways, twirling her stele around nervously as she waits for Isabelle to open the door, to say something, to send her away, _anything_. She knows this is insanity, knows that there’s a good chance Isabelle will slam the door in her face and never talk to her again, but she needs to try.

Light streams into Isabelle’s bedroom as the woman in question appears in the doorway, wearing nothing but a large tee-shirt that stops halfway down her thighs. It looks soft and faded and Lydia can’t help but wonder if it’s one of Alec’s, if fate would really be that cruel.

“Lydia.”

The word is loaded, Lydia knows, but with what? Is it relief, excitement, or dread? Is it anger or sadness, or the confusion Lydia feels every time she’s in the same room as Isabelle?

“Isabelle.”

Her voice, unlike Isabelle’s, is unsteady. It quivers as she speaks, the word sounding a lot like a plea. She’s begging Isabelle, in a way. Begging her to let her in, to love her even if only for a night, to hold her, to stop her. Perhaps that’s the truest one. She’s here because she wants Isabelle to stop her from ruining her life. She’s here because she wants Isabelle to feel for her even a fraction of what Magnus feels for Alec.

She wants the woman she’s falling in love with to hold her back. To give her a reason to say no and break her engagement. She knows Alec’s family expects too much of him, knows the only thing that could stop him is Magnus, but Lydia… Lydia doesn’t have much left to lose.

If she’s the one to end things, there’s still a chance Alec could get what he’s always dreamed of having. She doesn’t love the man, but she thinks he deserves to be happy, Magnus and the New York Institute included.

So she wants Isabelle to say something, because she’s their only chance. If Isabelle doesn’t stop her…

“What are you doing here?” Isabelle asks. She doesn’t let Lydia in, but she doesn’t shut her out either. It’s more than she had hoped for when she had planned this impromptu trip to Isabelle’s bedroom. “Do you need something? Is Alec okay? Lydia, it’s past midnight, you should be asleep. You have a wedding to attend tomorrow.”

Lydia snorts at the reminder, closing her eyes and shaking her head. She doesn’t know if she’s in denial or has simply lost track of time, but it doesn’t feel like it. It isn’t possible; there’s no way she’s getting married in less than 24 hours. There’s no way it’s actually going to go through.

Magnus will stop them. He has to. Lydia isn’t stupid, she’s seen the way he looks at Alec, seen the way Alec looks back. She can’t say she understands their relationship, because she really doesn’t, but she knows Magnus’ feelings are a lot stronger than Alec thinks they are.

He’ll stop them, she tells herself. Except if he doesn’t.

“I don’t want to get married,” she blurts out before she can stop herself. “I can’t marry your brother, Isabelle. He doesn’t love me and never will, and I can’t live like that forever. I don’t deserve that, and neither does he.”

She doesn’t mention how she has feelings for someone else as well. It’s one thing to put an end to her own wedding, it’s another to admit she’s slowly falling for her fiancé’s sister. Besides, Isabelle has to know already, right? There’s no way she hasn’t noticed. Lydia can never keep her eyes off of her; it’s a wonder no one has called her out on it yet.

“What are you talking about?” Isabelle is staring at her, eyes wide and disbelieving. Underneath it all, Lydia can see the beginnings of hope appearing in those dark depths, and a similar feeling flutters in her heart.

Hope, she thinks, is so much better than rejection. No matter how much pain it can bring her in the long run, she will always choose hope over loss, always choose risk over a lifetime of ‘what ifs’. Whether or not Isabelle likes her in the way Lydia does, she won’t regret breaking off her engagement.

Not when she feels so much lighter than she has in weeks, standing inches away from Isabelle and breathing the same air as the brunette. Even if she never gets more than this moment, she won’t regret it. _This_ and this alone is proof that she would never be happy with Alec.

“I can’t marry your brother, Isabelle,” she repeats. A smile quirks at her lips as she finally gets the words off her chest. “And he can’t marry me. We’d be miserable for the rest of our lives, and I can’t let that happen. He deserves to be with someone like Magnus, someone who will love him no matter what and go to the ends of the earth to make sure he’s happy. This wedding was doomed from the very start, and I can’t let it happen.”

“But the Clave-”

“Has no impact on my personal life!” Lydia exclaims, snapping her mouth shut as she realises she’s standing in the middle of a corridor. Isabelle seems to notice the same thing because she immediately pulls Lydia into her bedroom and shuts the door behind her.

They’re standing in complete darkness, and Lydia has never been more aware of someone else’s body. Isabelle’s hand in still resting on her arm and the single point of contact sends sparks of warmth through Lydia’s body. She’s been closer to people before, but this is different.

Isabelle’s fingers curl around her wrist a little more tightly and Lydia holds back a gasp. She shouldn’t be this affected, she knows, but Isabelle’s lights her on fire and she never wants it to end. When her hand pulls away, Lydia almost whines. This is ridiculous; Isabelle and she haven’t even kissed, haven’t even talked about their feelings.

“Lydia, are you sure about this?” Isabelle whispers. Lydia’s trembling as she nods. She’s never been surer of anything in her life, but she’s also never been more afraid. She’s always followed the rules, and this… This feels like breaking every single rule that’s ever been invented.

If Isabelle’s surprised look is anything to go by, she wasn’t expecting anything like this either. Lydia can’t help but wonder if she was going to let the wedding go through. Would she have tried to stop them if Lydia hadn’t come to see her? Or would she have done something, _anything_ to put an end to this madness.

“Yes,” she murmurs, stepping closer to Isabelle. She wants the brunette to touch her again, wants her to kiss her or card her fingers through her hair or embrace her and never let go. “Is that a problem?”

Isabelle laughs, bright and delighted and a little bit disjointed. She’s beautiful, and Lydia feels tears spring in her eyes at the sight. Raziel, she can see herself falling in love with Isabelle so easily. She can already picture it, can already imagine them together in the near future – and in the not-so-near future, too.

“It’s not a problem at all,” Isabelle finally answers, still smiling at Lydia as though she’s never seen anything so wonderful. As though she doesn’t see an angel in the mirror every morning when she wakes up. “I’m just glad my back-up plan won’t have to happen. It was a bit of a long shot anyways.”

“Back-up plan?” Lydia asks, intrigued despite herself. Isabelle just shakes her head. “Right, no need for one now.”

“I can’t believe you worked up the courage to do this,” Isabelle bites her lip, closing the distance between them in a single stride. They’re standing so close to each other and Lydia feels weak, so weak for Isabelle. She wants to melt into her and lose herself in her strength. “You know, your bravery is more than a little inspiring.”

“Really?” Lydia whispers. Her lips brush against Isabelle’s as she speaks and her breath hitches. She gulps, swallowing once and hoping her voice won’t break. “Maybe you should do something with all that bravery.”

“Maybe I should,” Isabelle breathes out.

And then her mouth is covering Lydia’s and neither of them are talking anymore. Lydia’s hands move up and slide underneath Isabelle’s shirt, tightening around soft skin. She’d never dreamed of being with a woman before Isabelle, but now that the brunette is in front of her, kissing her for all she’s worth, it’s hard for Lydia to remember what it felt like to do anything else.

Isabelle is hot against her, burning at her fingertips, but her lips are cool against Lydia’s own. They both shiver, the kiss turning more frantic for an instant before Isabelle is pulling away.

Her pupils are dilated, her cheeks flushed, and she’s panting even as she smiles at Lydia. She’s never looked more wrecked and Lydia’s never felt more whole, standing in her arms as the brunette grins at her like she’s the only thing in the room.

“Thank you,” Isabelle whispers, closing her eyes and bringing their foreheads together. Her breath ghosts over Lydia’s cheek as she speaks. “For being braver than I ever could be. For doing what Alec couldn’t.”

“I’d say you’re welcome, but it was almost entirely selfish on my end,” Lydia chuckles, her fingers moving up Isabelle’s spine. “There’s this beautiful girl I can’t get off my mind, and I couldn’t have lived with myself if I hadn’t given us a chance.”

“Well then,” Isabelle smiles. “Thank you for being selfish.”

Lydia grins right back at her. For a second, she lets herself think about the wedding that will never be. The only thing that appears in her mind is an image of Isabelle and her, standing at the altar together.

Turns out there’s only one wedding she wants to attend.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya guys! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this! I didn't get any one to beta this and it's very late so all mistakes are my own. As always, this fic is dedicated to Em, who is an amazing person and deserves all the stories in the world. 
> 
> Love, Junie. 
> 
> (find me on tumblr @hopesilverheart)


End file.
